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Paralympics offer footballer new hope after assault that ended his career

An unprovoked attack crushed Jack Rutter’s dreams but he will lead his country in Rio

Annie Vernon

August 29 2016, 12:01am, The Times

Rutter will lead his country in Brazil next monthAdam Davy/PA

English football in 2016 will forever be associated with that humiliating 2-1 defeat by Iceland in the European Championship finals. But the sport in this country extends far beyond the flaws and fortunes of the national team. With the help of the beautiful game, one player will complete his own remarkable comeback next month when he leads out Great Britain at the Paralympics.

From a young age, Jack Rutter was on the pathway to achieving every young boy’s dream: becoming a professional footballer. “I signed for Birmingham City when I was ten. They were just going into the Premier League, massive club,” he says. “My first game was against Manchester United, at Carrington, one of the most famous training grounds in the world, in the…

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